All in the Eyes
by sparkles princess
Summary: When a woman is in love, her eyes are different. She only looks at you with those eyes, Mystogan-kun. / In which Jellal comes to a party, and gets to a bit of talking with a certain blue-haired water mage. jerza, gruvia, jellal/juvia bro!ship. (full summary inside)


**All in the Eyes**

Summary: "Well, you see Mystogan-kun," she said, taking a short sip from her cup of water. "When a woman is in love, she..." The man's eyes widened at her choice of words. _Love_. "She has this glow to her. Her smiles are radiant, infectious even. And then she looks ten times more beautiful than normal. And then there's her eyes. Since Erza-san has always been beautiful, and her smiles have always been quite catchy, you can really tell through her chocolate brown orbs that she's in love. There's a special glint in them, an ethereal shine. She only looks at you with those eyes, Mystogan-kun." jerza, gruvia, jellal/juvia bro!ship.

_this is for a friend. i hope you enjoy! :)_

Several months after the Grand Magic Games, after their ordeal with the dragons and the Eclipse Gate, even the hurdle with the dark guild, Tartaros, and the demons from the book of Zeref, an extravagant party was held in Magnolia. And not just any party, oh no. It was a Fairy Tail party.

Other guilds would throw parties, so why Fairy Tail? What made it so special?

You see, the guild was notorious for their messes, for their rambunctious members. Cana, for example, was known for her drunken ways and the occasional one night stand. Natsu destroyed an entire town once. Since then, Salamander was more feared than respected 'round those parts. However, Fairy Tail was particularly well-known for its _killer_ parties. They always had the best booze, and of course the coolest people were always there. The entire guild usually came, except maybe the Connell family. The guys from Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale were often spotted in the guild's festivities. Sometimes even the ladies of Mermaid Heel attended.

Tonight was no different from the any guild's parties. Same people scattered all over the same venue, the recently reconstructed (Natsu had a penchant for destroying things) guild hall. Except this time, one of their less... well-known members decided to attend.

Mystogan.

Of course most everybody there knew that it was Jellal Fernandes pretending to be Mystogan under all those layers of cloth effectively hiding his distinct face. Everybody knew that he was only there to see a certain scarlet-haired requip mage who just happened to be late that evening.

Noticing her tardiness, said man wove through the dancing bodies and situated himself at the bar. He grew impatient after five minutes or maybe an hour, he hadn't noticed. (Seriously what took women so long to dress?) He ordered a drink from the barmaid, Mira, who had a knowing smile plastered on her face. He sighed as he settled on his seat, awaiting the arrival of his booze.

A while later, his drink arrived and simultaneously, a crazy stalker-slash-bloody murder screaming cutie in the form of Juvia Lockser crashed herself on the seat next to him. She sighed as if deeply troubled, and then noticed the figure sitting next to her.

"Je—" she paused abruptly. You can't just say the name of one of Fiore's Most Wanted out loud like that! The party was full of other people, from other guilds! Heck, maybe even some of the Council members were there! For a moment, Jellal's cloth-wrapped face was warped into a panicked expression (which was hardly noticeable, by the way).

"My-mystogan-kun!" She managed. Juvia had taken to addressing him with the suffix as of late. Since the Grand Magic Games, he and Juvia had been quite close, exchanging an occasional letter every now and then. She was truly surprised that Jellal came, even if he was masquerading as Mystogan. He was dressed up exactly like his Edolas counterpart so as to avoid detection. "What brings you here?" She asked, her blue eyes seemed even brighter in the light of the guild.

"Ah, hello, Juvia," he said to the water mage, "I just wanted to go to one of Fairy Tail's famed parties." His reasoning was dumb, and he was certain she could see through his lie. "You can't be a member of the guild without at least attending one of these."

"Oh, Juvia sees," she responded, not convinced at all. Nonetheless, she smiled, amused at his attempts to cover up his real reason for going. He mentally face-palmed, but was glad she didn't push it any further. Clearly, he was a terrible liar.

"So are you enjoying yourself?" She asked after a while. She pursed her lips as she played with the straw of her drink (where did that come from?).

The man nodded and "hmm"'ed in approval.

An incredibly long silence came between them, but after a while, Juvia spoke up. "So, Mystogan-kun," she began, reviewing in her head exactly how she would phrase her next statement.

"Why are you _really_ here?" She tried her best to sound nonchalant about it, but her curiosity must've shone through because the man was utterly bewildered at her sudden question.

The tattooed man was, as expected, shocked by her rather blunt way of speaking. If he had been in the middle of taking a sip from his mug of beer, he would've spit out the golden liquid from his mouth. Now that would've been very embarrassing, especially since a lot more people were coming and going, ordering various drinks from Mira (mostly Fairy Tail mages). Unfortunately for him, he _was_ in the middle of a sip, and he _had_ spit the beer out. The people around the two blue-headed people merely watched as the scene unfolded; silently snickering. Erza might come at any given moment, and if they openly laughed at Jellal, they would surely receive death by way of Titania and her extensive collection of very, _very_ sharp weapons. Juvia was startled by his reaction, her blue eyes growing huge in worry.

"Jel — erm — Mystogan-kun!" she squeaked, apprehension laced in her sweet voice, her hands flying into the air. "J-juvia is so sorry!" She began to redden in embarrassment, and she profusely muttered apologies to the man.

"It's fine if you don't answer it," she added as he regained composure. She trained her gaze on the wet circle his beer mug had made.

"N-no," Jellal said, laughing anxiously. Most of the beverage he had spit out was now cleaned up, thanks to Mira who was openly laughing. She was obviously not afraid of Erza.

"It's fine Juvia; I was just... surprised by your question." He paused for a brief moment, looking away from her and instead fixing his gaze upon the shelf in front of him, stacked with some of the finest liquor in all of Magnolia.

"Well, I really... Um, I, uh..." The sliver of his face that could be seen from his mask was scarlet by now, his tattoo almost imperceptible against the deep red shade of his face. Juvia found it hilarious how a grown man and a former member of the Magic Council like Jellal Fernandes could stutter and blush like a an eighth grade school girl."I came here for... I came here for someone," he whispered, only just barely did Juvia manage to hear his words.

The female bluenette smiled to herself and said, "I think I know who you're referring to, Mystogan-kun."

The man's face grew ten shades darker, and he inwardly cursed himself. His thoughts began wandering to Erza and her scarlet hair, her strength, her eyes. Before he was aware of it, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, the type of smile that reached the eyes, causing Juvia to grow curious. She studied his features, trying to guess what could've caused him to just smile like a goofball.

That's when it struck her.

He was thinking about Erza.

Of course it was just a crazy, fool-hardy assumption, but she had a feeling she was right. Call it female intuition if you'd like.

Jellal was a handsome man, that she wouldn't deny. Her cobalt eyes looked at his friendly face and she found him still smiling. He probably had a beautiful laugh too. But she wasn't interested because she already had her Gray-sama. And Jellal already had Erza. But she still found herself... perplexed by him. He was clearly, madly in love with Erza, and the red head obviously reciprocated his feelings. So why didn't he just... make a move? You know, kick-start their relationship?

As it turned out, she had spoken her thoughts aloud. The man was taken by surprise yet again and his eyes bulged. He let out a laugh and said, "I'm not entirely sure she loves me back." He had a smile on his face, but it showed not happiness, that was certain. If anything, it was pain and hurt.

It was regret, she realized.

"After all I put her through, I doubt that she'll ever love me," he heaved a long suffering sigh and took a sip from his beer. He had to lift the stuff on his face, making it extremely difficult to drink. A flash of guilt came to his features as he recalled the enslavement he put Erza through, how much he had hurt her over the years. He was surprised she was even willing to talk to a scum who had put her and countless others through living hell.

Juvia remained silent for a while, formulating a response.

"You know, Mystogan-kun, Juvia thinks you're wrong," she declared. The man turned to look at her fully, confusion written all over his features.

"What do you mean, Juvia?" He asked dumbly.

"Juvia means that she is fairly certain Erza-san holds strong feelings for you," she replied. She was being bold tonight, she realized. It wasn't very often that Juvia meddled in other people's love lives (maybe).

For a while, the former Magic Council Member remained silent. Juvia couldn't quite read the expression painted upon his features, and she panicked visibly, assuming the worst.

_Was he mad at Juvia?_

Realizing how incredibly rude she was being, saying things like that, and questioning Jellal's intentions, she blanched and swallowed quite audibly. She was about to apologize for her lack of manners. She was prepared to grovel, to kneel before the man and beg for his forgiveness, but his voice beat her to it. Rather, the rich sound of his laughter.

Shocked, her navy blue eyes flitted to the man's face. He had an amused smile on his face and he patted Juvia's head, like how a brother would do to his younger sibling.

He had noticed the worried expression she wore, and lightly said, "It's fine, I don't mind."

"J-Juvia is glad then," she smiled.

"If you don't mind me asking, Juvia," he began. "How did you come up with the conclusion that Erza likes me too?"

Juvia pursed her lips and began to think of a sensible way to phrase her thoughts.

"Well, you see Mystogan-kun," she said, taking a short sip from her cup of water. (Who would drink water at a party like this?) "When a woman is in love, she..." The man's eyes widened at her choice of words. _Love_. "She has this glow to her. Her smiles are radiant, infectious even. And then she looks ten times more beautiful than normal. And then there's her eyes. Since Erza-san has always been beautiful, and her smiles have always been quite catchy, you can really tell through her chocolate brown orbs that she's in love. There's a special glint in them, an ethereal shine. She only looks at you with those eyes, Mystogan-kun."

By the end of her declaration, Mystogan found himself blushing madly, smiling from ear to ear. Erza loved him. He might've just screamed like Meredy at one of those guys she absolutely adored (Eve was it?). Luckily though, he had more self-restraint and he did not scream like a rabid hormonal teenager. Instead, he promised himself that he would scream his head off once he was outside.

He smiled and asked, "Why is it that you sound like you're talking about this from experience, Juvia?" He voiced his question in a tone that showed curiosity. He was pointedly watching her by now.

"Well, um... Juvia... she, uh..." For a while she was incapable of forming coherent sentences and she squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. That was what always happened whenever Gray Fullbuster was involved.

Jellal let out a laugh, and once more patted Juvia on the head. He had taken quite a liking to that, patting her hair. Her locks were really soft and such a pretty shade of blue. Kinda like his but a bit lighter.

"Don't worry, Juvia," he said soothingly. "Oh look! There he is now," he pointed to a table near the exit. "And there's Erza, too!" He may or may not have been overly enthusiastic about the last bit.

The woman chuckled at him, saying, "You should go talk to her." She turned to look at where he was pointing. There was Erza, looking as stunning as ever. She was clad in a short blue-black dress that reached up to her mid thigh. The dress hugged her figure tightly, accentuating her curves. Then there was Gray.

Was it just her or did it suddenly get harder to breathe?

There was Gray, sitting next to Natsu across Erza and Lucy. His shirt was buttoned but it seemed as if he stopped himself mid strip because it was half open. His necklace was exposed, and his hair was in its usual messy state.

"Like what you see?" Jellal asked jokingly.

"My-Mystogan-kun!" Juvia squealed, punching him lightly on the arm.

The blue-haired man feigned hurt, eliciting a string of apologies from the water mage. He simply laughed in response, patting her head as she pouted.

Moments later, Natsu and Lucy left the ice mage and Titania to their own devices. Seeing this as an opportunity to repay Juvia for telling him about the, um, the... the... the thing with Erza, he promptly nudged her lightly on the arm, tilting his head to the point at Gray and Erza.

Juvia blushed, realizing what he was suggesting. "Juvia would like to but... she's too shy." Ever since she and Gray had become closer, as in like, they would go on missions together, and talk and hang out a _lot_. Juvia had developed a sort of shyness towards the ice mage. She was no longer her usual clingy self around the ice mage, but a calm, composed friend who just happened to hold romantic feelings for the man.

Somehow, Juvia found herself walking towards the table in which Gray and Erza were seated. Erza noticed her making her way towards them and excused herself, saying something about getting some fresh air or whatever. Gray was dumbfounded.

Grumbling a "what the hell is wrong with that woman?" Gray promptly stood up and collided with a wide-eyed Juvia Lockser.

"Gray-sama!" She squeaked; her eyes were widening. She obviously wasn't anticipating him practically leaping off his seat and bumping into her. If possible, her eyes grew larger as they settled upon Gray's, um, _you know_. "Your clothes!" She added, covering her eyes wit her delicate fingers. How did he even strip that fast? One minute he was still decent then the next he's suddenly naked?

"Shit!" Gray exclaimed, eyes roving the area in search for his clothes. Eventually, he found them on the floor near them and hastily grabbed them. He grew tired of always having to look for his garments like every ten seconds. With a sigh, he slipped on his pants and his shirt followed suit not long after.

"So, um, hey... Juvia," he awkwardly said. "You wanted something?"

"Oh, um... Juvia was just, um," she quickly looked to where Jellal was supposed to be, and begged silently for him to help her. Jellal's eyes said something along the lines of "not my problem". He was trying his best not to make fun of her, and was sure that he had several broken ribs from containing his laughter.

Eventually, though, Jellal walked over to the blushing duo. "Good evening, Gray," said Jellal, tilting his head toward the male. "Juvia," he acknowledged with a curt nod. "So what're you two doing here? It's a party! Go and... have some fun!"

It was incredibly out of character of him, but Juvia was in need of assistance.

However, Jellal wasn't the only one who was out of character that evening. Gray took heed of his words and blushing, he said, "Yeah, why don't we, Juvia?"

The woman turned red, as if she wasn't already. Smiling, she accepted his offer and allowed Gray to drag her to who knows where.

Meanwhile, Jellal found himself watching the pair. He was jealous. He wanted to be happy like them too. He wanted to grab Erza's hand and just... just be with her. But he knew that it wasn't supposed to happen. He was on the run, he was a criminal. Heaving a sigh, he went out and chanced upon quite the sight.

It was Erza Scarlet.

Feeling a bit bold, perhaps because of the alcohol (he was quite a lightweight, though he wouldn't ever admit it), he seized the opportunity to talk to her. He made his way to her left, and greeted her with a smile as she turned to look. He realized that she probably wouldn't see that he was smiling, but he still kept beaming. He was happy he could be with Erza, really.

They began to talk, awkwardly at first. The topics ranged from the "nice weather they were having", to "Meredy's magical abilities (she's quite a capable mage, isn't she?)". Eventually, Erza spoke. "Let's head back inside, shall we?" Her hand was outstretched.

He began to panic. Was she asking him to hold hands? Was it too early? What if his palms were sweaty? What if his grip was too strong?

In the end though, despite his many doubts, he took he hand and walked back to the guild with her.

He was glad to have been able to spend some time with her. He began to look for Juvia, to thank her for the confidence boost, but he found that she was still busy with Gray. He smiled to himself and decided to spend more time with Erza.

He couldn't help but notice how her eyes brightened. Juvia was right.

an: im sorry. for approximately wasting twelve minutes of your life. :(


End file.
